Change in a restaurant that has been successful for its traditional cooking methods can be a difficult thing to swallow for the business owners. For Frank Cerminaro, this was the case when he realized he had to make the transition from conventional ovens to combi ovens. The demand for his fabulous menu was not being met by current cooking methods, and changes were required.
Below are some of the benefits that Frank's Place experienced when they made the change to the combi ovens.
Shortly after making the change to the combi ovens, that cooks both conventionally and with steamers, Frank and his team noticed that they were able to enhance their productivity in minutes and meet the customer demands of the restaurant. Having this enhanced productivity allows their team to reorganize their processes to accommodate these customers.
While the seating space in the restaurant grew substantially, the kitchen space was still limited and utilizing the Rational AG combi oven gave them the tools they needed in a limited area. Their kitchen is much more organized and designed to allow them to work separate tasks simultaneously to meet the demands of the customers during any service.
By purchasing these combi ovens, Frank's Place is able to diversify the menu to meet the needs of a growing customer base. Moving from 28 to 250 seats, Frank's Place has had a customer base that has grown but they are also changing over the years. With the combi ovens, steam options for dishes are more available for customers who are desire these cooking methods.
The kitchen staff can also experiment and try new menu items that they may not have had the opportunity to do in the past. While they are very proud of their menu, they now have an opportunity to reach a new customer with these options and provide variety to match those within the restaurant.
One of the major concerns that restaurants like Frank's Place experiences when they expand is the consistency of the food. Anytime a restaurant begins producing foods in larger proportions, this becomes a significant issue. Ensuring that all of the products are cooked equally can be a challenge for kitchen staff. In their case, a limited kitchen area also made this a challenge in the past.
With the Rational combi ovens, however, they are experiencing accuracy and consistency at a much higher rate than before. The use of steam cooking options allows the food to maintain its moisture and cook more accurately than conventional methods.
With a new generation focused on speed and efficiency, combi cooking delivers cooking speeds that exceed traditional cooking methods. Waiting for food to cook for long periods of time is unacceptable, especially when a restaurant is seating as many as those at Frank's Place. The kitchen is able to handle the restaurant, however, even when every seat in the house is packed.
At Frank's Place, they have experienced that they not only can cook larger amounts of food, but they can do so quickly and provide their customers with outstanding service. Having this expanded seating section, this is critical for the kitchen staff and front of the house staff to provide an experience that is consistent and also within an appropriate cooking timeframe.
While the cooking change may have needed some getting used to, the benefits that Frank and his team are experiencing from the combi oven has transformed his restaurant into something that he could only have dreamed of. From the enhanced productivity and efficiency to the steady consistency and new flexibility of the delicious food, Frank is glad to have made the change to the Rational combi oven.